Saadani is the closest National Park to both Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. A 4 hour drive from Dar or 15 minute flight to Zanzibar makes this the most accessable wildlife park to both places. However Saadani is not just a wildlife park - as Tanzania’s only coastal wildlife reserve this truly is where the bush meets a very deserted beach.

Saadani is one of Tanzania’s newest National Parks, after several years of heavy petitioning the Park was finally upgraded from Game Reserve status in 2005. The benefits of this upgrade are now coming to fruition after many years of indiscriminate poaching, lack of infrastructure development and basic neglect the change is very visible.

I first visited Saadani in 2000 when access to the park was an adventure, game was scarce, roads were terrible, the village was screaming for help and heavy trucks ploughed a weary path through the Reserve to and from the salt works near the Wami river. The potential as a tourist destination was obvious to see but the whole area was a victim of neglect and mismanagement. Largely through the persistence of the private enterprise of A Tent with a View Safaris and later Saadani Safari Lodge the Game Reserve became a National Park, TANAPA now manage the Park and change is very visible.

The road to Saadani from the main Dar-Arusha highway is now good and a new gate and Parks office have been built to welcome guests into the Park. Inside the Park roads are maintained, a causeway has been built over floodplains and game drive routes are clearly signposted – a very far cry from the old days when the lodges almost single handedly maintained the game drive routes.
Park literature is available from the headquarters and the village has benefited through the proceeds from guests at the safari lodges with a new borehole and wind generators.

The beaches are clean and new initiatives have been made by the lodges to maximize the Saadani experience by including snorkeling trips to the reefs at Madete. Turtle conservation projects have been introduced by the lodges working closely with the local communities and organizations such as Sea Sense and WWF.

There are well preserved swathes of some of Africa’s oldest coastal forests in Saadani and the Zaraninge forest is especially important in botanical terms and in an area where deforestation is an issue the conservation of this forest is imperative.

Offshore trawlers still utilize illegal fishing procedures and the evidence of this becomes apparent when turtles and larger pelagics are washed up onshore, and the salt works near the Wami still leave an ugly scar that seems to be in direct conflict with environmental conservation but these are issues that cannot be resolved purely by TANAPA and external political pressure is required to confront the problems.

THE BUSH

So how does Saadani live up to its billing as a coastal wildlife reserve?

Part of the attraction is the variety of safari options available with game drives, walking safaris and a great boat safari on the Wami river providing a diverse range of environments and wildlife and birdlife species.
The game drive routes are not as extensive as in the larger parks and you should not go expecting the large herds of Selous or Serengeti. However for those that appreciate the bush there are a diverse range of antelope – reedbuck are prolific, Liechtenstein’s hartebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck, duikers, wildebeest and eland are commonly seen as well as giraffe, zebra, warthog, healthy populations of buffalo and primates.
Lion are becoming more visible and contrary to several tour operators imaginations elephant are not seen on the beach but early morning sightings are becoming more frequent particularly in the northern areas of the park.
Saadani is a good choice for families with young children as a morning or afternoon game drive should produce most of the above species without spending hours driving around, and then there is the beach for children to play safely on – a good compromise.
Seasons do play a big part in the volume of animals to be seen in the Park – when the waterholes are full game viewing is much more productive, in the dry season game does tend to disperse in search of water but TANAPA are apparently looking at ways to keep the waterholes full in times of drought.
While walking safaris may not provide too much direct game viewing the scenery in Saadani is beautiful, birdlife is abundant and it is a good way to appreciate the environment from a different angle.

At the southern end of the Park the Wami river offers one of the most productive boat safaris in the Tanzanian portfolio. Large pods of hippo, sun baking crocodiles and an incredible array of birdlife make this an exciting and informative safari option. Flocks of flamingoes are also often seen around the salt works en route to the Wami.

THE BEACH

Both lodges and the public Campsite at Saadani have direct beach access. While the beaches may not be the white sands of Zanzibar and the water not aquamarine blue, the benefits of miles and miles of deserted beach, safe swimming, no jet skis or waterskiing and no hassle from beach boys make the Saadani coastline very attractive.
The northern coastline is picture postcard coconut palms fronting an empty beach whilst the southern coastline is more open with the bush literally meeting the beach and baboons and vervet monkeys frolicking in the sand.

The Saadani coast is tidal and the tide goes out a long way at low tide revealing rock pools. The opportunity to walk for miles along deserted beaches does not present itself very often and is part of the allure of Saadani.

ACCOMMODATION

There is a public Campsite near Saadani village with a lovely location right on the beach. Located next to the Park guesthouse there are toilet and shower facilities but the main downside is not many shaded areas and particularly curious baboons and vervets.
The plus side is you will usually have the Campsite to yourself except for the primate company.

A Tent with a View Safari Lodge is located on the northern coast just outside the Madete gate near Mkwaja.
Benefits of this are that you can plan safari activities so you only pay park fees on days spent on safari inside the Park and can relax on the coconut palm fringed beach on other days without paying a park fee.
There are also several marked walking trails good for bird watching around the lodge as well as a canoe trip through the mangrove forest at high tide.
The lodge has recently expanded to include some bandas set back from the beach in a bush environment but the original eight beach front bandas which are all individually themed (e.g. Funky Zebra suite ….) all have seaviews and large balconies to relax on.
Several of the beachfront bandas have family extensions with a separate room accommodating up to 3 children with direct access from the main banda. Again another incentive which makes Saadani a good choice for families.

There is also a honeymoon ‘Venus’ suite slightly separate from the rest of the bandas and with a unique bathroom extension set in the mangrove thicket.
This is a very relaxed lodge and feels a world removed from anywhere. Which in fact it is really.

Saadani Safari Lodge is the only lodge inside the Park and has evolved from a humble start as the original Saadani Camp. Located close to Saadani village and the airstrip the Lodge still occupies the original site but in a very different format. Nine beachfront ‘classic’ bandas offer simple but stylish accommodation with a safari feel.
The new Maridadi cottages offer a glimpse of the future direction of the Lodge. These spacious cottages complete with an open air shower will eventually replace the classic bandas and make Saadani Safari Lodge very real competition for some of the Zanzibar style pretenders with the added element of the wildlife factor.
There is also a honeymoon cottage with its own plunge pool, meal area and bar giving a variety of accommodation choices.
A 24 metre beachfront infinity swimming pool means that the low tide swimming issue is irrelevant here and there is also a smaller swimming pool with a more bush location.

A large waterhole is particularly productive in the dry months so it is possible to see big game extremely close to the beach at the Lodge.
Once the evolution to the Maridadi suites is completed at the Lodge, Saadani will finally be able to offer real competition in terms of safari and beach chic to both the larger National Parks as well as Zanzibar.

The same owners are currently constructing a new River Lodge on the South side of the Wami River, when this is completed the driving time from Dar es Salaam will be around two hours and Saadani can expect to become a far more familiar name on the Tanzanian safari scene.

Just outside Saadani National Park is a very different accommodation choice at Kisampa private community conservation sanctuary. The Camp is rustic and has a bush setting and the Barbour family who established the conservation sanctuary live on site as their home. As such this is a very family orientated Camp with a heavy focus on community development with the nearby villages. Visits into Saadani N.P. and many nature and community based activities can be organized from the Camp.

THE FUTURE

Saadani has probably only reached this stage of its development due to the passionate endeavours of a handful of private investors who have been united by their love of this unique Park.
Over the last decade I have seen a huge step forward for Saadani in terms of management, infrastructure and quality of accommodation options.
The game is not as prolific as the large Parks and the beaches not as perfect as Zanzibar but why make comparisons – the real beauty of Saadani is that you can wake up to the sound of the Ocean, jump in a car and know that within minutes you can be game viewing and there’s not many places in the world that can offer this opportunity.
My young children place Saadani and Mikumi as their two favourite Parks in Tanzania with Saadani currently edging it due to the lure of the beach, and from a parents’ persective this is definitely the most child friendly Park in Tanzania.

Visitor numbers are still extremely low at Saadani, this is probably partly due to the huge number of attractions Tanzania has to offer and the time available for most visitors to explore.
However I believe it is also a complete lack of awareness of what Saadani has to offer. Many tour operators find it easy to sell a Lake Manyara/Tarangire/Ngorongoro/Serengeti safari package combined with a few days in Zanzibar. This involves very little work and set ‘packages’ appear from most of the larger operators. Many of the sales staff selling these packages have not even been to Tanzania let alone visited Saadani and it is difficult to be enthusiastic about what you have not experienced.
Most people nowadays have access to a wealth of information from the internet so before you book your packaged Tanzania safari I would urge you to think hard about what you truly hope to experience from your visit – you might just find yourself lying in a hammock at Saadani and wondering if that was the trumpet of an elephant you just heard.

For further information on Saadani National Park safaris and how to combine Saadani with different parks for a tailor made Tanzania safari, please contact David at Authentic Tanzania – info@authentictanzania.com